A weaker judiciary

In warning us to beware of a "dystopic drift towards a US-style judiciary" in his interesting piece (Comment, 29 March), Martin Kettle might have mentioned that the UK's Human Rights Act does not allow our courts to strike down acts of parliament in the manner of the US supreme court.

Andrew Lansley's bill is not in danger of judicial annihilation like President Obama's healthcare reforms. This reflects a deliberate decision by the last government, supported by MPs from all parties, to craft a bill of rights which respects the UK's tradition of parliamentary democracy.

When the prime minister states that he intends to replace the HRA with a "British bill of rights, because it is about time we ensured that decisions are made in this parliament rather than the courts", this in fact suggests a drift even further away from a US-style judiciary, with the relatively modest powers our supreme court possesses to hold the executive to account likely to be weakened further.Professor Francesca KlugLondon School of Economics